Cupid's Corpse: A Cozy Mystery (Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery Book 3) Read online

  Cupid's Corpse: A Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery

  Willow Monroe

  Published by ButtonFly Books, 2015.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  CUPID'S CORPSE: A GEMMA STONE COZY MYSTERY

  First edition. February 6, 2015.

  Copyright © 2015 Willow Monroe.

  Written by Willow Monroe.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Cupid's Corpse: A Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Further Reading: Mall Santa Murder: A Cozy Christmas Mystery

  Cupid’s Corpse

  Prologue

  Nick Leonard smiled, closed the door behind him, and flicked on a few lights. It was early and the news room was nearly empty. He could work in peace for a while, as soon as he checked his voicemail. The cell phone on his belt buzzed intermittently, reminding him that he hadn’t checked it yet. He placed his coffee and donuts on the desk and reached for his phone.

  “Mr. Leonard, you don’t know me, but I’ve seen your work in the paper.”

  Nick might have been flattered except for the desperate sound of the man’s raspy voice.

  “I need your help. Please call me back as soon as possible.” After leaving his number the man ended the call.

  Nick sat down at his desk and reached for a pad and pen to jot down notes. Something told him that this guy had a story to tell and he wasn’t about to miss it.

  The same man picked up on the first ring.

  “This is Nick Leonard. You left me a message.”

  “Mr. Leonard, I need your help.” The man sounded even more desperate than before. “I’ve been to the authorities and no one will help me.”

  “What can I do for you?” Nick asked.

  “Not over the phone.” Was he whispering? Nick suddenly felt like he was trapped in some detective novel. “Can you meet me somewhere?”

  “Sure.”

  “Now? This is important.”

  “Okay.” Nick reached for a sticky note to jot down the address, but as it turned out he knew exactly where to go.

  Chapter One

  Gemma Stone snuggled deeper into the soft leather seats of the roomy, luxurious Escalade and gazed down at the huge diamond ring and matching wedding band on her left hand. She was still getting used to seeing the diamond catch and reflect the light at odd times...like now, for example. And since she wasn’t used to wearing rings at all, she found herself touching it often, sometimes twisting it around and around as if to mimic her tangled emotions about this whole arrangement.

  Outside the window the familiar scenery of the city had given way to rolling farm land, the highway winding upward into the beautiful mountains of Virginia. Snow-covered pines reminded her how much colder it would be up here and she was glad for the heated seat beneath her.

  The worried face of her best friend Holly Blake came to mind. Nick’s last minute proposal and her eager acceptance had upset Holly. She had warned them that nothing good could come of this little escapade. But, as usual, Gemma had thrown caution to the wind and dived right in. As they sped along the highway toward Cozy Valley Lodge, she pushed her friend’s sensible words of warning out of her mind. The next few days were going to be wonderful - no murder, no danger, maybe a little espionage...

  “Are you excited?” Nick’s voice cut into her thoughts.

  Gemma smiled and tenderly touched the rings on her left hand again. Excitement and nervousness and a whole lot of other feelings crashed around inside of her all at the same time. She hoped she wasn’t going to regret this. “Very much.”

  “You make a beautiful bride.”

  She smiled again and felt heat rising in her cheeks. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself, you dirty rotten scoundrel.”

  He laughed, the hearty sound of it filling the vehicle and making Gemma laugh as well. Yes, this was going to be quite an adventure.

  ***

  “I’d be pissed off if it was me,” Holly had announced as Gemma folded her pajamas neatly and placed them in her suitcase right on top, where she could get to them easily.

  “Why?” Gemma asked, checking to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She always forgot something.

  “It’s Valentine’s Day weekend,” Holly said. “He promised you a romantic weekend at one of the prettiest places in Virginia. It was a Christmas present, for crying out loud. And now it’s a working weekend.”

  Gemma watched Holly pace back and forth in her bedroom. Gemma had known Holly since the first grade and pacing was a sure sign that she was not happy.

  “Actually, I’m kind of glad,” Gemma said.

  “Just how dangerous is this supposed to be?” Holly asked as if Gemma hadn’t said a word. Finally, she flopped into the wicker chair that was situated under the window where Gemma loved to sit and read.

  “How dangerous could pretending be?” Gemma asked.

  Holly shot her a level look, her dark eyes flashing.

  “My one chance to be an actress like I’ve always wanted and you’re trying to talk me out of it,” Gemma said, striking what she hoped was a dramatic pose.

  Holly was up, pacing again.

  “Look. We go up to Cozy Valley Lodge pretending to be Carolyn and William Vanderhaden. I let it slip that I’m not really his wife, which should alert them that we would be an easy target for the sex video scam. We play it up all lovey dovey and then come back home. It’s that simple,” Gemma explained for the hundredth time.

  “Simple,” Holly spat out the word.

  “Once we’re back, Nick keeps an eye out for our video to show up on that nasty porn sight his informant told him about. He’ll call them to try to get it taken down. He won’t get a response and in a few days a private detective will contact him, offering to help,” Gemma explained.

  “For a fee,” Holly finished for her. “You’ve explained this before but it just seems so far-fetched that something like that would be happening way up in the mountains.”

  “The internet is everywhere,” Gemma reminded her.

  “How does Ross feel about this?” Holly asked the one question Gemma didn’t have an answer for.

  “He’s fine with it,” Gemma said, zipping her suitcase and hoisting it off the bed. “In fact, he showed Nick how to locate cameras and that kind of stuff.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure,” Gemma said, sitting in the chair where Holly had been earlier to put on her favorite high heeled boots. In reality Gemma was actually relieved she wasn’t going up there, undercover with Ross. She was afraid she might forget to pretend.

  Holly opened her mouth to say something but Nick’s voice bellowing up the stairs interrupted her.

  “Where is my beautiful bride?” he shouted. “It’s time for me too whisk you off to paradise.”

  Holly rolled her eyes. “This is not going to end well.”

  Gemma hugged her. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

  ***

  “Are you ready for this?” Nick asked, bringing her back to the moment.

  “Why yes, William, darling. Why do you ask?” she said with
a little grin.

  “Because, Carolyn, I know just how cranky you can be without your daily shopping fix,” he said, falling easily into character.

  “Oh, I’ll be shopping. Don’t you worry about that,” she shot back and they both burst into laughter.

  “We got this,” Nick said. “And I do appreciate you going along with it.”

  “It’s fine.” They were almost at Cozy Valley Lodge. Gemma felt her heart flutter, simply because until this moment, she hadn’t exactly pictured them alone in a romantic hotel room. She felt her face heat up and took a deep breath, suddenly wondering if Holly had been right to be worried.

  They reached the top of the ridge, the powerful engine of the rented Escalade easily climbing the steep mountainside. From the passenger window, Gemma could look below and see the tiny village, nestled among snow-covered evergreens. The town of Valentine, Virginia had grown up just down the road from the lodge. It was full of quaint shops and boutiques, all romance-themed. Gemma had never heard of it and was sure it was some sort of gimmick, but her research had shown her that the small area had been called that for fifty or sixty years. The brochure said they offered crafts made by local artisans as well as higher end boutique items.

  In a few moments, they rounded the final curve to their destination. The sight of the Cozy Valley Lodge nearly took Gemma’s breath away. The main building was probably sixty years old. It was huge, a long, three story structure built of stone and logs and nestled into the center of a wooded valley. Small cabins, separated by meandering paths, dotted the mountainside beyond and offered more privacy than the hotel rooms on the top two floors of the lodge. They were newer but still looked rustic, as if they had grown there along with the trees.

  The setting looked anything but menacing, but according to Nick’s source a whole lot more was going on here than at first appeared - like blackmail. Nick’s source had directed him to a website that hosted the intimate videos of some prominent Virginia citizens, all filmed in the same cabin at Cozy Valley Lodge. Over the next few weeks those video clips began to disappear one by one, just like Nick had been told they would, as the owners paid up.

  The only video that remained was the one Nick’s informant refused to pay the ‘private detective’ to get taken down. Everyone else had succumbed to the blackmail, but who were they paying? Who was behind the scheme?

  Nick’s editor had been impressed with the lead, but not impressed enough to foot the bill for him to go undercover and investigate the situation. But Nick was resourceful, and here they were.

  “Wow,” Nick breathed, looking through the windshield at the Lodge.

  “I thought you’d been here before,” Gemma said.

  “I have but it’s been a while.”

  “It is gorgeous,” she agreed.

  “It’s the perfect, private place for a gentleman to bring his, um, wife,” he teased.

  Gemma was only half listening. The parking lot was packed with cars and people, obviously arriving for the long Valentine’s Day weekend. “I had no idea this place was so popular.”

  “This might not have been the best weekend to do this,” he muttered.

  “Too late now,” Gemma said, fiddling nervously with her seatbelt. Then she added, “Maybe having lots of people around might be better.”

  When the Escalade pulled up in front of the massive double doors, a tall, thin, dark haired man wearing a navy blue suit stepped out to greet them. He opened Gemma’s door and offered his hand. She felt kind of clumsy and embarrassed but allowed him to help her.

  “Mrs. Vanderhaden, welcome to Cozy Valley Lodge. I’m the manager, Joel Cunningham. We’re going to do everything possible to make your stay here enjoyable.”

  At the last second, Gemma remembered who she was supposed to be and gave him a haughty look, or at least what she thought was a haughty look. “Thank you,” she sneered, tossed her head and followed him into the lodge, feeling silly but resisting the urge to giggle.

  The one thing Gemma had enjoyed about this whole escapade was that she got to go shopping for outfits that a rich man’s wife might wear. Despite Holly’s trepidation, the two of them had had a wonderful time. It also gave her a chance to wear her favorite high-heeled boots. They clicked quietly on the slate floor just inside the huge double doors of the lodge.

  “What do you think, dear?” Nick said, coming up behind her and placing a hand in the small of her back.

  Gemma glanced around the lobby where dozens of people were milling about. She noticed that Cunningham was within earshot. “It’ll do,” she finally said.

  In reality, Gemma was floored by the beauty of what appeared to be a huge log cabin. The vaulted ceiling soared above their heads, three stories up to the roof, where skylights were filled with winter sun that belied the freezing temperature outside.

  There were several leather sofas scattered around the large space as well as matching chairs. All of them looked deep and comfortable, and the light provided by nearby lamps filled the space with a warm glow. A roaring fire in the fireplace to the right of the door drew Gemma like a magnet, and she immediately went to stand by the mantle. The wall opposite the fireplace held a collection of wicked looking crossbows. She shivered at the thought of what effective killing machines they appeared to be, like a cross between a rifle and a bow and arrow. Silent but deadly. Some appeared to be antique. Some looked brand new. All of them looked dangerous. Gemma shivered again, unable to take her eyes off them.

  “I’ll just go check in,” Nick told her.

  “Fine,” Gemma said, hoping she sounded a bit snippy. This acting stuff was harder than she thought it would be. “I’m tired and I want to lie down for a while before dinner.”

  “Yes, dear,” Nick said, kissing her hand tenderly. She jerked it away and suppressed a smile before anyone noticed.

  More people made their way into the lobby and Gemma watched them from where she stood by the fireplace. Some seemed to know each other but acted awkward and unsure of themselves. Others appeared to be meeting for the first time, and Gemma wondered what was going on.

  “Why are there so many people here?” she asked as the manager approached.

  He made a face and let his eyes roam over the crowd. “Mr. Boris Muzak, the owner, is quite a romantic. Every year on Valentine’s Day weekend, an online dating service called Love Match reserves the top two floors of the lodge. This is a chance for their online clients to get together for a meet-up or just to mingle with others during a lonely time. We’ve actually had several people get married here before the weekend was over.”

  “Really?” Gemma said, hiding her surprise as best she could. “I was assured we would have complete privacy,” Gemma told him, struggling to stay in character.

  “Oh, you will. That’s why we put you in one of the cabins - as your husband requested,” he said quickly, obviously eager to keep her happy.

  “I’m also guessing that Mr. Muzak is an avid bow hunter,” Gemma said, nodding toward the collection on the wall she’d been studying. The weapons all looked functional, from wooden longbows as tall as Nick to several crossbows that covered a wide range of age and appearance. The oldest of them looked like they would have been at home defending a castle. The newest of them looked like they might actually belong in the future.

  “Actually, that’s my collection. He lets me display it here, in keeping with his Cupid theme,” Joel explained. His pride was evident. “Boris appreciates all manner of fine things, even the dangerous ones.”

  Gemma let that sink in and then she remembered something she was supposed to do. “Let me tell you a little secret,” Gemma began. “I’m not his wife, yet. There is the current Mrs. Vanderhaden to dispose of first. As his mistress, I’m hoping there’s some place to shop around here because I plan on spending every dime that I can, just in case she takes longer to get rid of than expected. I’ve earned it.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I’m sure you’ll be intrigued by the shops just down the road in Valentine,”
Joel said, amusement sparkling in his dark gaze.

  “Good. Now that part is just our little secret,” she added with a wink. “If you know what I mean.”

  “Oh, absolutely. Discretion is of utmost importance to us here. If you’ll excuse me just a moment...” he said.

  Gemma watched his tall, lean figure zig-zag through the crowd to the front desk. He said something to the clerk checking Nick in, and she nodded. And then she frowned and called to a lanky young man who stood nearby. He wore thick glasses and his hair was in desperate need of a pair of scissors and a comb. Peering over the woman’s shoulder, he appeared to be instructing her on a procedure that she couldn’t seem to get right. Finally, he took her seat at the keyboard, his fingers flying. Within seconds the task was complete and he stood, allowing the clerk to return to her seat and finish the transaction.

  When all of that was settled, Joel and Nick shook hands and then both men started back toward her. Nick’s dashing, boyish good looks turned more than one female head. In stark contrast was Joel Cunningham, a head taller than Nick with that solemn air about him. Gemma thought he looked like Dracula.

  “Darling, would you like a drink?” Nick asked, returning to Gemma and placing a light hand on her shoulder.

  “I believe I would,” Gemma said, looping her arm into his. She felt like she was on the set of Gone with the Wind or something. All she needed was a hoop skirt.

  “Please, let me escort you into our restaurant. We have an award winning chef here. I’m sure he’ll be able to prepare any meal you would like.” Cunningham motioned for them to follow, made sure they were seated quickly before he excused himself, and someone appeared almost immediately to take their drink orders.

  “What do you think?” Nick asked, reaching across the table to cover her hands with his.

  “I think this acting stuff is not easy,” Gemma confessed. “I mean this place is gorgeous, and I’m supposed to act as though I’ve seen better?”

  “Well, we have been skiing in the Alps and I’ve taken you to St. Thomas several times,” Nick teased. “At least that’s what I told the front desk clerk. I also told her you were very hard to impress.”